letter to a black conservative...
good luck on shooting the film this weekend.
about your brother: I would love to get him involved in politics. unfortunately, I know mostly Democrats and Independents. My personal politics is probably a bit more progressive than yours, but I do believe there's more room in the Democratic party than in the Republican party for blacks. Why? Because Southern Democrats don't place dirty-race politics like Republicans do. It's also hard to really carve out an existence as a black Republican policy maker. Occasionally, they let a token in, and depending on how outspoken they are, they let them rise to a certain level.
Condolezza Rice is a great example. She worked hard AND consistently backed the right horse. Colin Powell and J.C. Watts are also great example. Watts was a conservative who rose to fame because of his athletic career. Despite being a black face for the GOP, he left Congress after he was passed over for a key Chair position despite his seniority. There were some whispers about financial and personal problems Watts had, but his replacement on the committee had just as much. And, the GOP has never avoided putting a person onto a chair because of personal problems. Remember House Speaker Livingston? He led the charge of censure against Clinton, then quickly left his Speakership when it was proven he had committed adultery for a longer time period (during the time that Clinton was Censured.)
Powell, as it has been stated before, was a moderate conservative who owed much of his military career to a promotion he received during the Bush administration. It wasn't Bush Sr. who specifically promoted him, but that did not stop Bush Sr from capitalizing on his popularity. Anyways, I contend that he was forced out as soon as possible because his moderate viewpoint for Iraq and war conflicted with what Bush wanted to accomplish. Contrast this with the Clinton administration (and Carter's before it), where conservative dissent was welcomed and sought after. I think this is why Clinton was so effective in balancing the budget, fighting genocide in the Balkans -- and when he failed to get some sort of balancing opinion is why he failed in Somalia and on universal health care.
But, let me not forget prominent black democrats like Harold Ford and Barrack Obama. You might not know about Ford, because he tries to keep a low-profile, but he is a conservative and a great African-American legislator. He's young too! I got a chance to meet him, and was really thrilled. I've met tons of politicians (even shaking hands with Clinton and Gore), and never have I walked away quite as amazed as I was after I met him.
But that's besides the point. The problem isn't that there aren't enough conservative black Americans. The problem is that our internal political structure really makes it hard for younger politicians to break through. Obama did everything by himself. And then when his opponents dropped out, and he started to kick ass in debates did the national Democratic party come to his aid. First it was the white folks, THEN black party leaders got involved in a major way. But most of them are still wary of them. Harold Ford had the same problem. Even Jesse Jackson's son, I forget the one, but I think it was the one in Michigan. I remember he would have to say one thing in the press to not piss off his father and his father's contemporaries, but would say or legislate differently when behind closed doors.
However, the Democratic party apparatus invites more dissenting opinions and ideas than the Republicans do. The Republicans are less...risk-averse when it comes to seeking power. If there's a chance to grab executive-level power (gubernatorial, presidential), they will cherry-pick off any constituency they can by over-promising and under-delivering after the election. In congressional, off-term races they tend to play race and religious negative politics to discourage people to vote for the Democrats rather than vote for them. I would just rather support a party that allows for debate and doesn't over-promise, rather than support a party based on smoke screens and marionette strings.
By the way, your comment about black people being tied to Kennedy is a good one, but misinformed. By today's standards, JFK would be a conservative-Republican. He did not believe in the Civil Rights movement, nor did he think it should exist. He just thought that there would be a leveling-off over time or that blacks would accept their 2nd-class roles. MLK did not agree with him, but was not sure want to establish a government based programs either. It was RFK, who after visiting poor-white communities in Appalachia and poor-black communities in the South, saw that some cross-race coalition was needed to "save" America. Of course, that got him shot. And it was LBJ who was big enough to overcome his own bigotries (and believe me he had a LOT of them), to sign the Civil Rights act.
And let's not forget the "Southern Strategy"
Anyways, this is just a long of saying that I would love to help your brother get into politics and be president in 2040. I'm just not going to help him become a Republican because I think there's more room for a conservative black man to grow under Howard Dean's leadership than under Ken Mehlman's leadership --- without selling himself out and making a lot of enemies.
By the way, check this article out: http://gadflyer.com/articles/?ArticleID=111
It says, in a more jocular tone, why JC Watts was forced out. If he was a Democrat, he still would have been supported. That's my opinion.
about your brother: I would love to get him involved in politics. unfortunately, I know mostly Democrats and Independents. My personal politics is probably a bit more progressive than yours, but I do believe there's more room in the Democratic party than in the Republican party for blacks. Why? Because Southern Democrats don't place dirty-race politics like Republicans do. It's also hard to really carve out an existence as a black Republican policy maker. Occasionally, they let a token in, and depending on how outspoken they are, they let them rise to a certain level.
Condolezza Rice is a great example. She worked hard AND consistently backed the right horse. Colin Powell and J.C. Watts are also great example. Watts was a conservative who rose to fame because of his athletic career. Despite being a black face for the GOP, he left Congress after he was passed over for a key Chair position despite his seniority. There were some whispers about financial and personal problems Watts had, but his replacement on the committee had just as much. And, the GOP has never avoided putting a person onto a chair because of personal problems. Remember House Speaker Livingston? He led the charge of censure against Clinton, then quickly left his Speakership when it was proven he had committed adultery for a longer time period (during the time that Clinton was Censured.)
Powell, as it has been stated before, was a moderate conservative who owed much of his military career to a promotion he received during the Bush administration. It wasn't Bush Sr. who specifically promoted him, but that did not stop Bush Sr from capitalizing on his popularity. Anyways, I contend that he was forced out as soon as possible because his moderate viewpoint for Iraq and war conflicted with what Bush wanted to accomplish. Contrast this with the Clinton administration (and Carter's before it), where conservative dissent was welcomed and sought after. I think this is why Clinton was so effective in balancing the budget, fighting genocide in the Balkans -- and when he failed to get some sort of balancing opinion is why he failed in Somalia and on universal health care.
But, let me not forget prominent black democrats like Harold Ford and Barrack Obama. You might not know about Ford, because he tries to keep a low-profile, but he is a conservative and a great African-American legislator. He's young too! I got a chance to meet him, and was really thrilled. I've met tons of politicians (even shaking hands with Clinton and Gore), and never have I walked away quite as amazed as I was after I met him.
But that's besides the point. The problem isn't that there aren't enough conservative black Americans. The problem is that our internal political structure really makes it hard for younger politicians to break through. Obama did everything by himself. And then when his opponents dropped out, and he started to kick ass in debates did the national Democratic party come to his aid. First it was the white folks, THEN black party leaders got involved in a major way. But most of them are still wary of them. Harold Ford had the same problem. Even Jesse Jackson's son, I forget the one, but I think it was the one in Michigan. I remember he would have to say one thing in the press to not piss off his father and his father's contemporaries, but would say or legislate differently when behind closed doors.
However, the Democratic party apparatus invites more dissenting opinions and ideas than the Republicans do. The Republicans are less...risk-averse when it comes to seeking power. If there's a chance to grab executive-level power (gubernatorial, presidential), they will cherry-pick off any constituency they can by over-promising and under-delivering after the election. In congressional, off-term races they tend to play race and religious negative politics to discourage people to vote for the Democrats rather than vote for them. I would just rather support a party that allows for debate and doesn't over-promise, rather than support a party based on smoke screens and marionette strings.
By the way, your comment about black people being tied to Kennedy is a good one, but misinformed. By today's standards, JFK would be a conservative-Republican. He did not believe in the Civil Rights movement, nor did he think it should exist. He just thought that there would be a leveling-off over time or that blacks would accept their 2nd-class roles. MLK did not agree with him, but was not sure want to establish a government based programs either. It was RFK, who after visiting poor-white communities in Appalachia and poor-black communities in the South, saw that some cross-race coalition was needed to "save" America. Of course, that got him shot. And it was LBJ who was big enough to overcome his own bigotries (and believe me he had a LOT of them), to sign the Civil Rights act.
And let's not forget the "Southern Strategy"
Anyways, this is just a long of saying that I would love to help your brother get into politics and be president in 2040. I'm just not going to help him become a Republican because I think there's more room for a conservative black man to grow under Howard Dean's leadership than under Ken Mehlman's leadership --- without selling himself out and making a lot of enemies.
By the way, check this article out: http://gadflyer.com/articles/?ArticleID=111
It says, in a more jocular tone, why JC Watts was forced out. If he was a Democrat, he still would have been supported. That's my opinion.
posted by Coolhand at 10:49 AM
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